María Clara Rafols Lorenzo Lobregat (April 26, 1921 – January 2, 2004) was the first female mayor and also a representative to the Philippine Congress of Zamboanga City. Early life Lobregat or "" was born April 26, 1921, in the then-municipality of Zamboanga, the second of five children of Don Pablo Lorenzo, who was the mayor of Zamboanga City from 1939 until 1940, a representative to the first Philippine Assembly, and a delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention, and Luisa Rafols of Cebu City. Lobregat grew up in the cities of Zamboanga, Cebu, and Manila. She spoke Zamboangueño Chavacano, Cebuano, English, Tagalog, and Spanish. Education Lobregat was educated at the Pilar College in Zamboanga City, Maryknoll and St. Scholastica's College in Manila and is the recipient of an "honoris causa"—Doctor of Humanities from the Ateneo de Davao University in 1979, Doctor in Business Administration from the Aquinas University in 1980, and Doctor in Educational Administration, Western Mindanao State University. Career Lobregat was present in Malacañan Palace on October 12, 1936, when President Manuel L. Quezon created and established the chartered city of Zamboanga through the Philippine Commonwealth. Before 1971, Lobregat, mother of six, was president of the Philippine Coconut Producers Federation (COCOFED). Throughout her political career, Lobregat lost in only one election – in 1984 for the lone seat at the Batasang Pambansa. Allied with the Marcoses, she lost to Mayor Cesar Climaco who did not assume his post as assemblyman. With Marcos gone and the then opposition-turned-administration splitting into factions, Lobregat easily won as representative of the Lone District of Zamboanga City in the 1987 legislative elections and was reelected in 1992 and 1995. She ran and won the mayoralty in 1998, was reelected in 2001 and was set to file her certificate of candidacy for a third term on January 5 this year. Her son Celso, has occupied the congressional seat she held from 1987 to 1998. Her nephew, Luis Lorenzo, Jr., was Agriculture Secretary under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from 2002 to 2004. Lobregat's net worth as of end of 2002, was P27.8 million, making her the richest Mindanao city mayor. In her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) as of end of 2002, Lobregat listed 18 companies where she has "shareholdings" and listed as number 19, "other enterprises (resort and others)" where she also has "shareholdings." Lobregat's business interests included banking, real estate, flower growing,